Stuffed Cabbage roll is minced beef and rice wrapped in cabbage leaves then cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. It is a very comforting dish and is widely eaten in many parts of the world from Central Europe to The middle and far East.
Just like most wraps, the filling for stuffed cabbage rolls can vary from place to place even from individual to individual. It can be whatever you love and enjoy. This stuffed cabbage roll recipe is very basic and just a guide.
Cabbage roll can be cooked in the oven or on the stovetop, baked, steamed or simmered. It is quite some work to make them and requires patience but it is worth the effort. Make a large enough batch and store it in your freezer, you can store your rolls in the fridge for a day or two and in the freezer for much longer up to one month. Thaw and reheat before serving.
The cabbage leaves need to be supple for easy rolling of the fillings and to avoid tears. You can either put your cabbage head in 2 plastic bags and place in the freezer overnight. When thawed, it will result in soft and supple leaves which won’t tear when used as a wrap. It is a much easier way but if you forget to put it in the freezer the other method which is what I use is to blanch in hot water.
You can use ground pork or other meat to fill your rolls. For seasoning, you can also include whatever special seasoning you have e.g creole, yaji, periperi etc. Other ingredients can be included in your filling like mushrooms, bell peppers, seafood (shrimps), bacon, ground turkey etc. Leftover cooked rice can be used for this dish as long as it is not mushy.
To make Stuffed Cabbage roll
500g minced beef
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions (green part)
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
2 seasoning cubes
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Sauce
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 cup Tomato Paste (Tinned tomato)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bayleaf
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 chicken seasoning cube (powder)
Spring onion (whites)
1 small onion, sliced
2 tablespoons cornflour
Filling
In a bowl combine minced beef, cooked rice, onions, spring onions, egg, salt, chilli pepper, minced garlic, thyme, seasoning cubes, water and Worcestershire sauce.
Mix until well combined, cover with cling film pressed down on top. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Blanch cabbage
Place a large deep pot (stock pot) over medium-high heat.
Fill with enough water to cover the cabbage head, add some salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer.
Peel off the outer torn and worn out leaves on the cabbage.
Wash the whole head of cabbage and using a sharp knife slice off the bottom of the cabbage, cut out (core) the thick ribs.
Gently drop the cabbage head into the hot water cut side down and leave to simmer.
The first outer leaves will start dropping off once they are soft enough.
Pick them out, drain well and set aside until you have enough, between 12-15 leaves.
Bring the rest of the cabbage out.
Sauce
Pour vegetable oil in a saucepan and place over medium heat.
When hot, add tomato paste, stir and fry for 1 minute to remove rawness.
Add garlic, thyme and bay leaf stir until aromatic.
Stir in sugar, vinegar, seasoning cube, spring onion white and 1/2 cup water. Take off the heat.
Filling the leaves
Trim off the thick rib at the bottom of the cabbage leaf.
Place some minced beef and rice filling in the centre and roll-up.
Roll starting from the rib, cover the meat, bring in the two sides and continue rolling to the end. You can fasten with a toothpick.
Place in a plate and continue rolling until mixture has finished.
Cooking Stuffed Cabbage Roll
Line the bottom of a medium-sized pot with the smaller cabbage leaves.
Sprinkle the sliced onions on top.
Place rolled cabbage on top of the onions seam side down.
Pour tomato sauce over the rolls to cover them.
Place a clean flat plate face down on top of the cabbage rolls.
Cover the pot and place over high heat.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low to simmer 1 to 1-1/4 hours until cabbage is soft.
Check after a while, if getting dry, top with a little water.
Remove rolls from tomato sauce and place on a plate, remove toothpicks if you used them.
Using a sieve strain tomato sauce into a small pot, boil until reduced and thickened. Taste and correct seasoning.
If you want a thicker sauce, mix cornflour with 1/4 cup water and stir into the sauce a little at a time until thick enough.
Pour over cabbage rolls to serve.
Serve on its own or with rice, twice-cooked potatoes, yam, steamed green beans etc. You can also use bread to soak up the juices.
Notes
- You can use a bunch of parsley in place of the green part of the spring onions.
- It is best to use rice that still has a bite to it.
- Use the stronger outer cabbage leaves because the inner ones will break down easily in the long cooking.
- You can replace rice with cauliflower to make it more keto compliant and good for diabetics.
- Corn flour is optional depending on what is being served with it. No need to thicken your tomato sauce if serving with bread.
If you enjoyed my Stuffed Cabbage Roll, you will also enjoy my Cabbage rice, Cabbage fried rice, Nigerian vegetable sauce, Fried cabbage and Nigerian Tomato Rice recipe using leftover rice.
Stuffed Cabbage roll
Ingredients
- 500 g minced beef
- 1 cup cooked rice
- ¼ cup finely chopped onions
- ¼ cup finely chopped spring onions (green part)
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 seasoning cubes
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 1 cup Tomato Paste (Tinned tomato)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 bayleaf
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 chicken seasoning cube (powder)
- Spring onion (whites)
- 1 small onion (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
Instructions
Filling
- In a bowl combine minced beef, cooked rice, onions, spring onions, egg, salt, chilli pepper, minced garlic, thyme, seasoning cubes, water and Worcestershire sauce.
- Mix until well combined, cover with cling film pressed down on top. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Blanch cabbage
- Place a large deep pot (stock pot) over medium-high heat.
- Fill with enough water to cover the cabbage head, add some salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Peel off the outer torn and worn out leaves on the cabbage.
- Wash the whole head of cabbage and using a sharp knife slice off the bottom of the cabbage, cut out (core) the thick ribs.
- Gently drop the cabbage head into the hot water cut side down and leave to simmer.
- The first outer leaves will start dropping off once they are soft enough.
- Pick them out, drain well and set aside until you have enough, between 12-15 leaves.
- Bring the rest of the cabbage out.
Sauce
- Pour vegetable oil in a saucepan and place over medium heat.
- When hot, add tomato paste, stir and fry for 1 minute to remove rawness.
- Add garlic, thyme and bay leaf stir until aromatic.
- Stir in sugar, vinegar, seasoning cube, spring onion white and 1/2 cup water. Take off the heat.
Filling the leaves
- Trim off the thick rib at the bottom of the cabbage leaf.
- Place some minced beef and rice filling in the centre and roll up.
- Roll starting from the rib, cover the meat, bring in the two sides and continue rolling to the end. You can fasten with a toothpick.
- Place in a plate and continue rolling until mixture has finished.
Cooking Stuffed Cabbage Roll
- Line the bottom of a medium sized pot with the smaller cabbage leaves.
- Sprinkle the sliced onions on top.
- Place rolled cabbage on top of the onions seam side down.
- Pour tomato sauce over the rolls to cover them.
- Place a clean flat plate face down on top of the cabbage rolls.
- Cover the pot and place over high heat.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low to simmer 1 to 1-1/4 hours until cabbage is soft.
- Check after a while, if getting dry, top with a little water.
- Remove rolls from tomato sauce and place on a plate, remove toothpicks if you used them.
- Using a sieve strain tomato sauce into a small pot, boil until reduced and thickened. Taste and correct seasoning.
- If you want a thicker sauce, mix cornflour with 1/4 cup water and stir into the sauce a little at a time until thick enough.
- Pour over cabbage rolls to serve.
Notes
- Serve on its own or with rice, twice cooked potatoes, yam, steamed green beans etc. You can also use bread to soak up the juices.
- You can use a bunch of parsley in place of the green part of the spring onions.
- It is best to use rice that still has a bite to it.
- Use the stronger outer cabbage leaves because the inner ones will break down easily in the long cooking.
- You can replace rice with cauliflower to make it more keto compliant and good for diabetics.
- Corn flour is optional depending on what is being served with it. No need to thicken your tomato sauce if serving with bread.
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I am Ganiru, a wife, a mother, a food blogger, a chef, an author and an accountant. I love to cook and write about food, especially Nigerian and afro-centric food...
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